MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. The turnover of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Russia rose by 11% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to a study by the analytics center of ERP service MoySklad.
The analysis covered 46,000 SMEs across Russia engaged in traditional retail, e-commerce, and manufacturing. Analysts compared average turnover figures for the first six months of 2025 with the same period in 2024. Although SME revenues continue to grow, the pace of growth is slowing. In the first half of 2024, turnover increased by 19% year-on-year.
A breakdown by sales channel revealed that while marketplaces previously drove most of the growth, the main contributors now are online stores and traditional retail. Offline sellers saw turnover grow by 10% (compared to 17% in the same period last year), while marketplace sellers posted a 9% gain (down from 21% last year). Meanwhile, online store turnover rose sharply — 14% against 8% last year.
The number of entrepreneurs using marketplaces grew by 9% over the six-month period, traditional retail - by 7%, and online stores - by 18%.
MoySklad also compiled a regional ranking of turnover growth and decline for the first half of 2025. The Moscow Region showed stagnation, while turnover among entrepreneurs in Moscow grew only slightly - by 3%. In contrast, St. Petersburg posted a 7% gain, while its surrounding region saw a 2% decline.
According to analysts, this year’s key trends include SME turnover growth in line with inflation and a slowdown in marketplace seller growth, representing a natural outcome of market saturation. Additional headwinds include rising costs and increased complexity of working with online platforms, particularly for newcomers, which has dampened the influx of new sellers.
"Small businesses are growing more actively in the regions. Payments to military personnel, development of the defense industry, and domestic tourism have boosted SME activity outside the capital," the experts noted.